Wouldn't Have Suspected It
by sourewolf
Summary: She isn't perfect, she knows that. Life usually never seems to go her way in a situation. She gets tormented on a daily basis. She has no friends to help her. What if somebody noticed her pain, what would happen?
1. Prologue

**Ah, first story! Okay well, if you read and review, please be honest. Honesty is the best policy and I will take any suggestions into consideration that could further my writing. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as long as it's intended to help me!**

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><p>She always knew life was hard. She just never expected hers to turn into <em>such <em>a cliché. Yep, everyone heard right, Rachel Berry doesn't have that "oh so perfect" life everyone thinks she has. Being perfect is too overrated anyway. Behind the knee socks and argyle sweaters (that sometimes had cute little animals on them), she held secrets you'd never believe. Dazzling smiles disguised hidden pain.

You'd think some would be shocked, right? Wrong. The people who _did_ actually notice overlooked her warning signs and continued on like they never saw anything in the first place. Being overlooked didn't seem so awful in her mind; it just made it that much easier to hide things. In their minds, they supposed that she just wanted the attention. _Never_ judge a book by its cover.

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><p><strong>AN: I know it's like extremely short, but it's just a prologue. I'm already starting to work on the next chapter so you guys can tell me if you want it or not!**


	2. Chapter 1

Monday morning rolled around quite quickly. Rachel groans when the alarm clock goes off. She wonders how she can continue to hide all the secrets that haunt her every day. She just gets changed and goes to put on her makeup. She's not sure how she can keep up the lies she tells every single day. It's almost like they're eating her alive.

She makes her way to the mirror and contemplates about how painful dancing will be today, considering all the bruises. She pokes one of them and winces. 'Well, at least they aren't on my face,' she thinks. They've always been careful not to bruise her face. It's too open and people might suspect something. 'Doubtful,' she bitterly thinks. She tries to convince herself that they hit her because she's the problem. By now, after years of the abuse, she's fully absorbed that it's her fault. If anyone ever saw the purple and yellow bruises covering her tiny body, she doubts they'd give a shit. It's not like anyone likes her at school and in Glee Club. She doesn't know why she deserves to be treated this way but she stays silent and doesn't bring it up; it'd just cause more trouble.

Her one safe haven is no longer safe, but her own personal hell. She rarely sings anymore and she takes all that crap the Glee Club sends her way. She doesn't even understand what she ever did to make them hate her. She gives away all her solos because she is honestly tired of trying to defend herself when Mercedes complains that she gets all the solos. But that's a lie. She hasn't had one in months, but it's not like Mr. Schue has noticed. All he does is drone on and on about her not a team player, while no one defends her. She expects that, though. In all honestly, there's no way in hell they're a "family" as Mr. Schue likes to put it. They make her feel like the outsider whenever they plan parties and to go shopping right in front of her. And does anyone invite her? Nope. The jocks still slushy her in the morning and now, they change it up so they can get her before lunch too. They only slushy her, not one other person in Glee Club. Whenever a Cheerio passes by her, they "accidently" shove her so she slams into the locker. It's a bitch on her bruises and she has to keep the screams in. But, she still holds her head up high and pretends that they don't get to her. But, with all the abuse at school, she feels like she's slipping off the edge.

After she gets ready, she checks to see if her dads are awake downstairs. Of course they aren't, they're probably trying to sleep off the alcohol they had the night before. Every night her dads go out to a bar and get drunk. Then they come home and take their anger out on her for the smallest of things. For example, they blame her for the stress they have at work and because she costs them so much for just being alive. In the mornings, she puts concealer and foundation on any visible bruises. It's her routine.

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><p>She leaves for school and once she steps through the doors, she's met with the whole hockey team with various members of the football team (including Finn) and all of the Cheerios holding slushies. She freezes and braces herself. All at once, they throw the slush inside their cups at her and she's met with icy cold slush dripping down her shirt and stinging her eyes. She's grateful she packs two sets of clothes every day. She runs to the bathroom so they can't see the tears in her eyes. She locks the door and starts to sob as she falls to the floor. She really thought Finn was different. 'Everyone will hurt you in the end,' she reminds herself.<p>

Once she's done getting changed and has reapplied her makeup, first period is already over. The day moves by extremely slowly and she starts to heads to lunch, but not before Karofsky throws a slushie right in her face. She doesn't feel that hungry anymore and goes back to the bathroom. She doesn't understand it, whenever Kurt or any of the girls in the Glee Club got slushied, they rushed to help them clean up. But, when it comes to her, they wouldn't even waste their time asking if she's okay.

It's time for Glee Club, the period she always dreads. She walks in and ignores the glares and insults from her "family" and takes a seat in the back.

Then Kurt speaks up, "God Rachel, don't you think you could ever stop being such an attention whore." And here's the start of the insults yet to come before Mr. Schuester comes in.

"Manhands! Did you enjoy that slushie attack? I had someone record it so now it's on Jewfro's blog for everyone to see what a fucking loser you are," Santana says smirking, while whipping out her phone to show everyone. Everyone continues to laugh. She doesn't even know what she did to make them hate her so much; she was there for all of them when they were slushied and when they needed someone to listen to them. They act like she's diseased.

Thank God Mr. Schue came in at the moment.

"Alright guys, I was thinking that Quinn could take on the next solo. You will perform "Defying Gravity" for Sectionals and then you and Sam will perform "Lucky" and Santana will sing "Back to Black." Okay, are we good?" Mr. Schue asked. Rachel's shocked. She couldn't believe he gave her solo to Quinn. He knows she'd be better for it, but she guesses there isn't much worth fighting for. He'll always take Quinn's side and ignore and break her down bit by bit.

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><p>So Rachel heads back to the hellhole she's forced to call her home. When she gets there, she's grateful her dads aren't home. But her happiness doesn't last long once she hears the front door open and in comes her highly drunk dads. Rachel froze in fear and couldn't bring herself to make a move for upstairs. Then they noticed her and her dad, Hiram, smiled this sinister smile that sent chills down her back while her daddy, Leroy, comes over and roughly grabs her arm. She knows what's about to come but that doesn't stop her from cowering in fear. Dad grabs her hair and starts to kick her stomach, while her Daddy twists her wrist so painfully that she's positive it's broken. Once they finish, she hurries up the stairs and locks the door. She makes her way to the bathroom while numerous words swim through Rachel's head.<p>

_Whore_

_Untalented_

_Selfish_

_Replaceable_

_Bitch_

_Worthless_

Rachel rummages through her cabinet until she finds what she's looking for. A razor. She lifts up her sleeve and starts to glide the cold piece of metal against her olive skin. She watches as the blood trickles down and she gets a sick sense of satisfaction from watching that. She feels numb and lifeless as she does this. It takes her pain away. After she adds another soon-to-be scar, she puts a bandage on it and heads to bed. But she can't shake the feeling of that one pair of eyes that were watching her with intrigued concern in Glee Club.

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><p><strong>AN: Honestly tell me how you feel about this story, love it or hate it? Just be honest(:**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the feedback! I know I'm a little too excited, but it's my first story and I got like three reviews, so I'm pretty damn happy and people added me to their alert list(: So thank you everyone!**

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><p>Rachel wakes up and repeats the same thing every morning and she's off to school. Her broken wrist bothers her but her sweater gives off the appearance that nothing is wrong, while her makeup covers more bruises received. She hopes she can make it through the day unnoticed. She just wants to be invisible.<p>

Today, she's only met with one slushy from Karofsky in the morning, quite a lot of stares, and a slushy from Azimio before lunch. Everyone continues to stare at her, not offering to help her up. She doesn't know why everyone is staring at her like that, but it makes her pretty uncomfortable. While she's heading to the bathroom to clean herself off, she's stopped by Quinn.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Manhands?" Quinn sneers. Rachel's kind of shocked; she hasn't done anything to Quinn or her precious Finn. Come to think of it, she hasn't been bothering anyone at all. They have no reason to be mad at her. She goes through the halls lifelessly with her head down.

"I can assure you I have no idea what you are insinuating," Rachel replies.

"Oh you know _exactly_ what you're doing. Stay away from _my_ boyfriend, Rupaul, got it?" And with that Quinn walks away, but not before "accidently" shoving Rachel to the ground. She doesn't know what just happened considering she hasn't liked Finn since the beginning of sophomore year and it's already junior year. Why would she even want Finn? He barely gave her the time of day, even when they were dating for those two short months. He treated her terribly and was ashamed to be seen in public with her. Who would _want_ that in a guy? But now he's with the Ice Queen yet again. Shouldn't people learn from their mistakes the first time? Apparently not. With that, she walks to her next class.

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><p>It's time for Glee yet again. She continues slowly walking until she reaches the door to the choir room. Rachel hesitates, but opens the door regardless.<p>

"Here comes the _slut_! I'm shocked you came today, I mean after what we saw on Jewfro's blog," Mercedes says while smirking. All Rachel wants to do is punch that look off her face. She doesn't even know what they're talking about but there's the whole Glee Club sat around Mercedes' phone. Some are glaring at her, while others look more shocked.

She takes the phone and starts to read.

_This just in, Rachel Berry was caught in another one of her pathetic ploys to win star quarterback, Finn Hudson's, heart yet again! And when, may you ask, did this happen? Well, as I was on my way out of the school, I heard the angelic voice of one Miss Rachel Berry. I stopped to go in and there I saw her practically begging Finn to leave resident HBIC Quinn Fabray for her! He was clearly rejecting her, but she wouldn't seem to give up. Could she really be any more of a desperate whore? Probably. If she goes after anyone's boyfriend, no one gets in this bitch's way! Be aware!_

And there at the bottom was a picture of her and Finn talking, but it looked so much worse than it was. She looked like some sort of harlot desperately asking him to be her boyfriend. She couldn't believe her eyes. They really thought she wanted Finn back and would seek to such desperate measures just for him. Ha, as if! Anyway, she was just trying to be a good person helping Finn practice his scales. Afterward, they just talked and all she did was ask if he thought Quinn truly deserved the solo. Being the _loyal_ boyfriend he is, Finn decided Quinn deserved that solo. Though, she _clearly_ did not.

"This isn't what it looks like! I was just helping Finn with his scales!" Rachel tried to tell her teammates, but they just wouldn't listen. They looked at her with disgust.

"Yeah right. We all know how fucking desperately you wanna get with him. It's sad, really, that you would try to steal him away from me. It's cruel, actually. Well newsflash! Finn will never want you! You're just some worthless tranny with a pathetic obsession with him. Why would he want _you_ when he can have _me_?" Quinn sneers at her, while towering over the small girl. Rachel cowers in fear from her harsh words.

"I don't like Finn anymore; I haven't for a pretty long time Quinn," Rachel says in a quiet voice.

"You expect me to believe that _shit_! I actually thought you were smarter than that, Rupaul!" With that, Quinn shoves Rachel and sends her flying into a row of chairs. Rachel falls on her wrist and screams out in pain. She struggles to get up but when she does, she runs out of the room crying out in pain. Quinn smirks and goes to sit down with Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina following suit, each giving their approval. Santana and Brittany look torn on what to do, while Finn looks away guiltily. Mike looks at his girlfriend disapprovingly. Artie, Puck, and Matt glare at the vindictive blonde.

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><p>Rachel quickly makes her way out of there. She can't take any more of their abuse. She runs into the auditorium and onto the stage, crying. She starts to sing.<p>

_Maybe no one told you there is strength in your tears __  
><em>_And so you fight to keep from pouring out __  
><em>_But what if you unlock the gate that keeps your secret soul __  
><em>_Do you think that there's enough you might drown __  
><em>_  
><em>_If No One Will Listen__, if you decide to speak __  
><em>_If no one is left standing after the bombs explode __  
><em>_If no one wants to look at you for what you really are __  
><em>_I will be here still __  
><em>_  
><em>_No one can take you where you alone must go __  
><em>_There's no telling what you will find there __  
><em>_And God, I know the fear that eats away at your bones __  
><em>_It's screaming every step, "just stay here" __  
><em>_  
><em>_If no one will listen, if you decide to speak __  
><em>_If no one is left standing after the bombs explode __  
><em>_If no one wants to look at you for what you really are __  
><em>_I will be here still __  
><em>_  
><em>_If you find your fists are raw and red __  
><em>_From beating yourself down __  
><em>_If your legs have given out under the weight __  
><em>_If you find you've been settling for a world of gray __  
><em>_So you wouldn't have to face down your own hate __  
><em>_  
><em>_If no one will listen, if you decide to speak __  
><em>_If no one is left standing after the bombs explode __  
><em>_If no one wants to look at you for what you really are __  
><em>_I will be here still_

As she finishes the song, tears are streaming down her face. She's unaware of the pair of hazel eyes watching her as she sobs. That is until said person stands up and walks towards her. The person notices the bruises forming around her wrist that she tries to hide. Sitting alone on a piano bench is Rachel Berry, finally breaking. The person watches for a few more minutes until the sobs are quieted and asks:

"Rachel, what the hell happened to you?"

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I'm terrible. The song used is "If No One Will Listen" by Kelly Clarkson. SO what is your guess on the person who finally confronts Rachel?**


	4. Chapter 3

**OHMYGOD, who's a terrible author-in-training? I personally hate it when authors take FOREVER to put a new chapter up, and look at me. I kinda got a bit addicted to all this Dramione (Harry Potter) fanfiction(; KAY THEN, I'll be super nice and try to redeem myself by giving an extra long chapter! And ohmygosh, thank you like a bajillion for the reviews and putting the story on your alert lists!**

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><p>Rachel looks up into the eyes of one, shocked Noah Puckerman. She's too surprised that he's there to answer.<p>

"Berry? What the hell happened?" Puck asks impatiently.

"Oh! I was at my dance class and we were rehearsing when someone missed their move and ended up hitting me in the face." Rachel answers, praying to God she sounds believable. She can't have anyone know what's happening to her. It's not like they'll care anyway. She's just Rachel fucking Berry, after all. Some haven't taken the time to get to know her, but her abrasive and determined attitude is just a shell. She builds all these walls up hoping no one can ever get through. It's just a mask to hide away all of her insecurities and weaknesses. She plays her part well; no one would normally suspect anything, until now and that's what scares her. She can't have anyone noticing. When they notice, they'll ask questions and she cannot have anyone asking questions.

"That's a load of bullshit. Now tell me who gave you those fucking bruises!"

"I just told you what happened, Noah! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go home." And with that, she bolts.

Puck stands there for a moment, contemplating what just happened. Berry obviously didn't get those bruises from dance classes. One way or another, Noah Puckerman was determined to figure out Rachel Berry.

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><p>Rachel hurries over to the steps of the school and sits there. 'How could I have been so stupid and careless?' she berates herself. She couldn't believe he saw the bruises on her wrists. 'What if Dad and Daddy ever find out he saw?' The thought alone makes her go into a panic, thinking of all the possible ways they could inflict more harm upon her. She tries to focus on something else to keep her mind away from those thoughts. She starts to think of glee. That proves to be a fucking <em>terrible<em> idea.

She thinks of the hateful glares she received after they read Jacob's blog. The way Quinn shoved her so hard, she fell onto her wrist. The white hot pain was unbearable. When she screamed, they sniggered. Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina were just oh-so-happy to praise Quinn on what she had done. Rachel wonders what the hell happened to the ones who she had become _so_ close to being friends with and, how they turned their backs on her just like that; without looking back.

Tina used to be so sweet and caring. She used to help Rachel clean slushies out of her hair for the first couple of weeks and talk to her and make her feel better. She almost considered Tina her friend. And then, BAM! One day, she just decided to ignore Rachel and never talk to her again. Same thing happened with Mercedes. Rachel always told Mercedes how perfect she was and how she never had to change for anyone, when Mercedes would criticize how she looked. And how does Mercedes respond? A month later, she calls Rachel an attention seeking slut and joins Quinn's gang of bitches. And Kurt. He's a different story. Rachel had known Kurt since 7th grade. They were pretty close, too. They'd tell each other things nobody else would know. (This was, of course, before the beatings begun. They began in her freshman year.) They were practically best friends; joined at the hip. Then two months into their freshman year, right out of the blue, he tells her she'll never make it to Broadway because she's a spoiled, stuck up bitch and nobody would ever like her. That was when she first cut herself. She didn't even know what she did that made Kurt angry at her. She doesn't know what she did to make everyone hate her so _fucking_ much.

Ah, she remembers the first time she saw Finn. It was her sophomore year and he was the quarterback. She fell in love instantly. Then she realized the Ice Bitch was his girlfriend. That put a damper on things, but she was still madly in love. When Finn and Quinn broke up, Rachel's hope increased. They stated to date and she was so happy. But, two months later he breaks up with her because he's still in love with Quinn. She was heartbroken, naturally, but she soon got over her pining for Finn. Now, he barely talks to her, in fear of Quinn. It's quite pathetic, actually.

Rachel eventually stops her trip down memory lane. When she looks at her surroundings, she realizes it's already around 5:00 and raining. _SHIT!_ Her dads were gonna kill her for being home so late! There was pure fear coursing through her. She gets up and starts sprinting home.

When she gets about halfway there, she thinks she hears something. She turns around, but found nothing through the haze of rain. She nervously continues, but goes a bit faster. She hears it again and stops. All of a sudden, someone comes out of nowhere and starts to pull her into the secluded area. She screams and cries, but it's useless over the sound of the down pouring of rain. She struggles as hard as she can, but whoever it is, is too strong.

"Shut up and stay still." The person commands in a harsh voice. She recognizes that the person is male, but she still wouldn't listen to him. He proceeds to punch her in the gut and starts to take her pants off. A cold sense of dread overcomes her. She continuously yells, "NO!" over and over, hoping he'll stop. But that was very unlikely.

He then takes off her underwear and his pants. She feels him enter and nothing could've prepared her for the pain she feels. It's worse than any of her other beatings. She tries to block out the pain but nothing can prevent that. She's still a virgin and he ripped that virtue away from her like that. It's so painful; Rachel starts to see spots of black clouding her vision. She ends up blacking out because of the white, hot pain she feels.

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><p>When she wakes up, she's still in that secluded, woodsy area he brought her to, except now he's gone. She finally feels like she can breathe again. She notices it's probably 7 in the morning and she's going to miss school, but after what just happened, she couldn't give a fuck. She looks down at her mangled body and saw all of the new bruises and the blood that's now on her inner thighs. She feels completely worthless and dirty.<p>

It takes all of Rachel's strength just to stand up. She starts to walk over to her, now shattered clothes and tried to at least cover herself. Very slowly, she starts to walk back to her home. All of her willpower could barely keep her standing up. She gritts her teeth, trying to work through the pain that was now searing in between her thighs.

Twenty minutes later, she reaches her house and thanked God her dads weren't home. She makes her way to her bathroom to clean her wounds and take a long, warm shower. She can still feel _him_ on her and starts scrubbing her arms harshly and rapidly. She needs him off of her now. By the end of her shower, her arms are bleeding. She finishes tending to her cuts and gets a good look at herself in the mirror. Rachel has another black eye, a large bruise forming on her stomach, and she has cuts and bruises everywhere else. She looks so terrible she starts to sob. Heart wrenching sobs could be heard all throughout the house for an hour straight.

When her sobs die down, she reaches into her drawer for the razor. At a time like this for Rachel, it's more than a want, it's an absolute need. She drags the shiny metal all the way across her wrist, though not deep enough to be fatal, and then moves onto her stomach. The cut on her stomach was much deeper than the one on her wrist, but still, Rachel feels nothing. She was so serene, just watching the droplets of blood form together and drip down her body and into the sink. She feels like she's flying. She never wants the feeling to end. The calm and serene smile on her face never leaves. It's as though she's been hurt so many times in her life, that pain just wasn't felt anymore.

She cleans the newly made cuts and bandages them before getting dressed. After, she goes over and sees that she has one new text from Noah.

_Hey Berry. Saw u weren't in school today. Just wonderin' how ur doing -Puck_

Rachel thought it sounded like he almost cared, but then she remembers this is _Puck_. He goes after cougars and puts drugs in cupcakes. No way did he care about her. He just wants to use her and hurt her, like everybody else in her life does. She decides to text him back, anyway.

_Thank you for the concern, Noah. It is greatly appreciated. I just came down with the flu so I should be back tomorrow. –Rachel*_

After that, she puts her phone away and decides to take a nap and forget all that has happened, for just a few hours. Unfortunately, her dreams would be plagued with the reoccurrences of what had just happened.

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><p>Hours later, she wakes to the sound of glass breaking. She's instantly up and alert. She then hears her dads' maniacal laughter. She's desperately hoping they don't know she's here. Rachel doesn't think she can handle any more pain at this point. That thought's, of course, crushed when her bedroom door creaks open and in come her dads. They don't seem to notice any of the bruises she just received, and they just stare at her, coldly.<p>

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Her daddy demands.

She crouches in the corner and responds in a quiet voice, "I was at the library, studying."

They seem to accept that answer and move closer towards her. They tower over her and her dad grabs her by the hair and yanks her up. Leroy starts to kick her in her stomach and back, while Hiram is bending her fingers back. One at a time, until each finger on her left hand is broken. She cries out uncontrollably at this point and Leroy slaps her and tells her to shut up. The pain she feels is immense and she ends up passing out. It's seeming to become quite a habit of Rachel's now.

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><p>When Rachel wakes up, she sees that she's on the ground and her whole body aches. It's the middle of the night and she drags herself up just so she can sleep on her bed. In the morning, she awakes, still extremely sore. She takes a shower, puts on a long shirt and a hoodie, and covers up all the visible bruises. Then she's off to another day in hell.<p>

When she arrives, just like any other day, she is met with a slushy to her face. She runs the fastest she can to the bathroom and starts to wash her hair, though she's already missed first period. She then realizes she left her makeup bag at home. '_Fuck_,' she thinks. She's screwed. She can't rid of the bruises now. Everyone's going to see them and they'll all find out. Rachel is in the middle of a panic attack when the door suddenly opens. She forgot to lock the door and she freezes. In walks Brittany and her completely innocent-like composure. Brittany stops dead in her tracks when she sees Rachel's face. Brittany's face contorts into confusion at first, and then pure horror. She can't believe that the girl in front of her is in fact, Rachel Berry with bruises and cuts all over the visible parts of her body. Brittany, then, bolts out of the bathroom without a word.

Meanwhile, Rachel is still in the middle of her panic attack, when a minute later Santana runs in with Brittany at her side. Santana sees Rachel and gasps in shock. Santana runs to Rachel's side and tries to calm her down.

"Come on Rachel! You have to breathe, in and out, in and out. There you got it, just keep breathing with me!" Santana says to Rachel. Brittany looks terrified; she has no idea what's happening to Rachel. Santana is completely shocked at seeing Rachel like this. She looks at Rachel and sees she's completely broken. Santana feels an overwhelming sense of guilt when she sees Rachel's wrist and all of the self-inflicted wounds that her bitchy insults probably caused. She's not sure what to do and how to fix Rachel, but she's going to do everything she can to try.

Once Rachel calms down, she turns to look at the girl who just helped her. She feels a sense of dread. Santana's probably going to tell everyone, and then she'll be bullied even more. But when she looks at Santana, she looks completely concerned for Rachel. Rachel felt hope blossom in her chest at the thought of becoming friends with the feisty Latina and the bubbly blonde, but also complete fear that now Santana, Noah, and Brittany have seen the damage done to her. Her thoughts were interrupted when Santana spoke.

"Rachel, how did all of this happen?"

And just like that, all of Rachel's walls are built back up again.

"Rachel, you can trust us. Just tell us what happened." Santana persists.

Rachel replies in an eerily calm but deadly tone, "You want _me_ to open up to the girl who bullied me all throughout high school along with _Quinn_," Rachel spat out her name like it was poison, "and think you won't tell the whole damn school! How could I _ever_ trust _you_!? You've made part of my life shit for years and don't even care! Why should I tell you anything?"

To say Santana was shocked was an understatement. "Listen Rachel, hear me out please. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness or anything from you but, I want to apologize for everything I put you through. I know, I'm a bitch and I don't deserve your trust, but I have changed! I was only going along with Quinn and I know that's not an excuse, but me and Britt are here now and we want to help you!"

When Rachel looks into Santana and Brittany's eyes and sees the true sincerity and honesty there, she starts to cry. Heartbreaking sobs erupt from her and Santana and Brittany quickly leap over to her and rock her back in forth, holding her and whispering words of comfort to her. When her sobs quiet down to little whimpers, she looks up at the girls in front of her.

"Okay, I'll tell you what's been happening." Rachel whispers. Santana and Brittany hold her and comfort her throughout her retelling of everything that has happened to her. They hear each and every heartbreaking thing that happened to Rachel. From the beatings and insults to the rape, their heart hurts for her. By the end, all three of them are crying and holding onto each other. Santana and Brittany's' hearts break for this strong girl in front of them, who took each and every one of their insults with her head held high and a smile in place. They have the uttermost respect for the fragile girl in their arms. The three of them sit on the floor for hours just crying for the broken girl, who had to suffer through so much. All they want to do is take her pain away.

Through tears Santana says, "Rach, you're coming to stay at my house. My parents are gone on a vacation and Britt will stay with us too. We don't want you to ever have to go through this again, and especially alone. We're always gonna be here for you, remember that."

Rachel, looking up through tear-filled eyes gratefully accepts and thanks Santana profusely. The girls sit there until the last bell goes off and they head for Santana's car.

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><p><strong>now it's one in the morning and I have school today so I better get off of this. Now be sure to tell me what you think!(: and what friendships you wanna see happen!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**I feel EXTREMELY bad that I haven't been updating on a usual basis, but I just have so much homework and finals coming up and I have practices and not a lot of time to sit around and write more chapters. But, I'll try and update more on a weekly basis, probably every weekend if I can! I'll try to make them longer too, but like I don't understand how some authors can put like 12,000 words per chapter! Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed and alerted and favorited this story! loveyouall3**

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><p>Rachel, Brittany, and Santana make their way to Santana's car once the end bell rings.<p>

Brittany doesn't understand things the majority of the time; she's called stupid for it. But today, it's different. When Rachel told her story, Brittany understood everything Rachel had said. She knew Rachel needed someone there for her the moment she entered the bathroom and saw the pure fear in her eyes; Brittany decided she was going to be that person. That's why she went to get Santana. Brittany needed Santana with her at that moment. She was in a panic and didn't know how to help Rachel.

When she told Santana, Santana's' eyes widened in shock before she darted towards the bathroom. She and Brittany had entered the bathroom shortly after. Brittany watched silently as Santana tried to get Rachel to tell them what was wrong, and Rachel panicked. But then, something amazing happened; something that made unicorns look as pathetic as a worm. Santana and her apologized to Rachel and they both could see Rachel's emotionless mask start to break down, before Rachel accepted them and proceeded to tell her story.

Brittany's heart seemed to crack in pieces while Rachel told her story. Knowing Rachel had to go through it all alone, made Brittany even sadder. She cried for hours for the girl who never got treated as she should've been.

* * *

><p>When Brittany came to get her, Santana was confused. Like why would Santana Lopez care about Manhands? Honestly, Santana didn't hate Rachel; she hated Rachel's confidence that allowed her to keep her head held high when insult after insult was thrown at her. Santana absolutely loathed that she couldn't have that self-confidence. When Quinn decided to target Rachel, Santana was all for it. It gave her a chance to break down that envious confidence Rachel had. But after a while, Santana didn't find it that amusing. She started to regret her actions. Rachel had done nothing to them, but they were still bitchy to her. And then Santana had to go along with the Ice Bitch if she wanted to keep her status at this school, but each terrible act was causing her more and more trouble.<p>

But something in the way that Brittany was speaking made her even more concerned. She rushed to the bathroom and nothing could prepare her for what she saw. There was Rachel, covered in cuts and bruises. She gasped at the sight. Santana tried to convince her to tell her what happened, but Rachel blew up. Santana was shocked; she knew she deserved what Rachel said, but it still shocked the hell out of her. Santana had to convince Rachel that she had changed. Santana had to tell her she wanted to apologize and why she had done everything she'd done. She ended up apologizing and Rachel told them. Santana had to listen to every awful, malicious thing that had been done to that poor girl. The guilt was eating her alive. After she finished her story, Santana's self-loathing for herself grew, knowing she had been such a bitch to Rachel when she was at her breaking point. Santana never cries, but she cried for hours for the girl who lost her only freedom at a young age and feared the place she was supposed to feel safe.

* * *

><p>They all pile into Santana's car and silently drive to her house, all caught in their own dream-like state.<p>

When they arrive, Rachel notices she's still in clothes that are wet with slushy. She turns to Santana and asks, "Can I go take a shower please?"

Santana nods, "It's the first door on the left upstairs. I'll leave some towels and clothes in there for you."

"Thank you," Rachel replies as she makes her way up the stairs. She waits for Santana to bring the towels and clothes before she profusely thanks her and makes her way into the bathroom. She drops her backpack to the floor and digs into it. She grabs the cool metal object between her fingers. She looks at it for a few minutes before she slides it across her stomach with ease into a thin line that starts to prickle with blood. She sighs with satisfaction and bandages the wound. She gets into the shower.

When she gets out of the shower and changes, she heads back downstairs, but not before she sticks the razor in a safe place in her backpack. At the bottom of the stairs, Santana and Brittany are waiting for her.

"Are you hungry?" Santana asks with concern.

"No," Rachel replies.

"Okay then. Get in the car; we're taking you to the hospital." Santana says with a tone that meant there would be no arguing.

Rachel blanches. Panic overtakes her mind. She can't go to the doctors. Nobody else can know; Santana and Brittany were already too many. She'd break down if she'd have to answer questions about everything. But, Santana has this determined look on her face that told her she was going, even if they had to drag her there. Rachel still tries to resist.

"No! I won't go; no one else needs to know! It's bad enough that you both know and nobody else can!" She screams.

Santana won't take that. "Rachel, you have to go. You need a cast for your hand and we have to report them! They're fucking monsters that deserve to be locked up for the hell they put you through_._"

Rachel knew she wouldn't win so she let Brittany lead her to the car.

* * *

><p>When they arrive at the hospital, they bring Rachel to a room immediately and the nurse refuses to let Santana or Brittany in. Santana did not take this too well.<p>

"If you know what's best for you, you'll let us in," Santana threatens in a low voice.

But the nurse stood her ground, "I'm sorry, but neither of you are getting in there until the doctors are finished."

Santana begrudgingly sits down in one of the chairs, but her face is tinted red with rage. She did not take it well when she was told what to do. And at that moment, she wants nothing more than to rip that nurses head off with her bare hands. If it wasn't for Brittany and Rachel, she probably would've done it too.

Back in the room, Rachel was having her wrist examined. They already decided it was broken so now they just have to put a cast on it. And then they'd ask her questions about the bruises, and she was not ready for that; not at all. The doctor decides to examine her whole body. They reach her pelvic region and the doctor can tell what has happened to her. She performs a rape kit on Rachel. She has to poke and prod along down there and the pain is excruciating. Rachel hopes for it to be over soon.

Once they finish, a woman in her mid-30s comes into the room.

"Hello Rachel, my name is Christina Levit. I'm a social worker and I just came to ask you some questions, if it's alright?" Christina asks. Rachel just nods silently so Christina continues.

"Now, how did you get that broken wrist?"

"We were practicing at jazz class and someone was off cue and the girl ended up hitting me and I fell on my wrist." She spoke in a low voice. She's ashamed because of what had actually happened to her. She perfects her lie and hopes her acting was convincing enough. Fortunately, for her it seems that Christina didn't think she was lying. Then, they get into the rape questions.

"Have you ever been assaulted before this incident?" Christine asked.

"No, never before." Rachel lied through her teeth.

"Okay. Now I know this may be difficult for you, but I need you to tell me what happened the day of your sexual assault.

Rachel went as pale as a sheet, but decided to try and tell Christina. "Well, I was heading home and I thought I had heard something. I looked around but I couldn't find anything. Then someone grabbed me and brought me into the woods. He punched me over and over again. I kept screaming 'no, no,' but he wouldn't listen. Then he started to t-t-take my pants off. I tried to fight him off, I really did, but he was t-too strong…." Rachel burst into tears and couldn't go any further. Rachel couldn't stop sobbing. She felt like she was reliving it and she couldn't get _him_ off of her. It felt like she had all of his weight on top of her again. She started to scratch at her arms incessantly and they started to bleed.

Four nurses rush into the room to restrain her. Rachel continues to sob and scream and struggle against the nurses. She just wants to be anywhere but here.

* * *

><p>In the waiting room, Santana and Brittany had just heard Rachel screaming. They rush past the nurse with no hesitation, ignoring her yells of protest. They need to get to Rachel. She needs them and they were going to be there for her.<p>

When they reach the room, Rachel is being held down by four nurses. She's sobbing and screaming. It was a terrifying sight. They rush over to her and Santana forces the nurses to get off of Rachel. The nurses ignore her and continue to restrain her.

Brittany was freaking out seeing Rachel like this, and was currently hyperventilating and Santana was becoming angrier and angrier by the second. Santana then screams, "What the _fuck_ are you doing to her! You're scaring her. Let her go or I'll go all Lima Heights on your asses!"

A plump, blonde nurse glares at them and answers, "If you do not calm down, we will be forced to remove you from this hospital."

"Like hell I'm gonna leave! We aren't going anywhere! Don't you see you're causing her to panic!? Get the fuck off of her! Didn't you know she was recently raped!?" Santana continues to scream at the nurses.

"Okay, we're going to have to ask you both to leave before we call security."

Santana replies in an eerily calm voice, "I already told _you_, we are not going anywhere. So get the hell out so we can help her."

Another snooty nurse remarks, "_We_ know what we're doing. Both of you are only slowing our efforts to help the patient. Now _get_ out, SECURITY!"

Two muscular men came into the room and immediately grabbed the struggling Santana and Brittany and dragged them outside.

"My father is a _lawyer_! I will sue your ass!" Santana yells after them, but it's a hopeless attempt. They are already forced out of Rachel's room. She probably thinks they abandoned her and that thought made Brittany and Santana extremely nervous. They have to see Rachel again, and soon. They enter Santana's car and just silently sit there; they know they'd be there until Rachel was released, but they just hope that'd be soon.

In Rachel's hospital room, she's currently still being held down by two nurses while another has a shot in her hand. Rachel went into a panic seeing this and the nurses sense this as they tighten their hold on Rachel's arms. The other nurse's bringing the needle closer to Rachel's arm; right where the vein was. Without a second thought, the nurse injects Rachel with the substance. Everything goes black after that.

* * *

><p>When Rachel wakes, the whole room seems to be black. She notices she's still in the hospital room, but she wonders where Brittany and Santana are. That's when all of the panic sets in. All of the thoughts swirl throughout her mind. <em>What if they planned to dump me as a friend all along? What if everything was just a lie? What if they told people about my secret? <em>The last thought made her blood run cold. She didn't think she could handle anymore betrayal; especially after she believed them completely and told them her darkest secrets. Rachel couldn't believe she fell for their lies. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Life was becoming too much for her at the moment. She needed to cut; it's the only thing that can help her.

Rachel slowly tries to walk to her backpack without making a sound. She swiftly takes the razor and heads towards the bathroom. Once there, Rachel examines herself in the mirror. Her hair hangs limp in her face, her eyes have bags under them, and she looks like hell. She still has the black eye, while the other one has mostly faded. She picks up the razor and brings it lower, to her hip, and slides it across. She watches in fascination as the blood begins to form and drip down her hip and onto her thigh. She stands there for minutes just watching the blood travel. Then she grabs towels and starts to wipe it off and bandage it.

Rachel hadn't realized how tired she was and decided to try and sleep. Once her head hit the pillow, she was out.

* * *

><p>Santana and Brittany end up sleeping in Santana's car. Santana wakes up around eight and decides to wake Britt up. They're both still worried for Rachel. They haven't seen her all night and hope she's doing all right on her own. After that bitch of a nurse had them kicked out, Brittany and Santana had no choice but to wait until morning, for Rachel's sake. Santana and Brittany got out of the car and started to head to the entrance of the hospital.<p>

First thing Brittany notices is that there's a different nurse at the desk. This makes her very optimistic. She doesn't want Rachel to have to deal with that grumpy nurse all day. She's brought out of her thoughts when Santana grabs her arm and they start walking towards Rachel's room. When they get there, they see Rachel still sleeping. Brittany told the nice nurse that they'll wait until Rachel wakes up. The nurse lets them and then leaves. Brittany notices how small Rachel really looks on that hospital bed. It scares her. She can still see all of the bruises visible on Rachel's arms and face. The sight makes Brittany tear up. She hates seeing her friend like this.

No one deserves to be treated like this, especially not Rachel. Brittany remembers Rachel as always being so kind and selfless. Someone like that should never have to be in this position. It's heartbreaking for Brittany to think about. She's not stupid; she knows what's happening right now. Even though people treat her like a five-year-old, Brittany is very observant. She can usually read people fairly well. It was hard to read Rachel though. Sure, Brittany saw that she was smart and caring, but she couldn't sense that Rachel was hiding anything. Brittany only saw what Rachel wanted her to. Brittany berates herself for being so blind. She could've helped Rachel if she had paid more attention to the quiet brunette.

* * *

><p>Santana wants nothing more than to beat the asshole who raped Rachel. He took her last bit of security and Santana wants to make him <em>pay.<em> No one deserves this; especially not Rachel. Rachel has been nothing but considerate to everyone she meets. Nobody appreciated that about Rachel though. To be honest, there wasn't a person who did appreciate Rachel. It made Santana's guilt even worse.

She will do anything in her power to help Rachel and always be there for her. She wasn't there for her before, but she will be now. Everyone needs somebody. Rachel deserves that. She has no one to lean on or trust, but now she'll have Santana and Brittany. Santana vows to always be there to support Rachel. Everyone needs somebody to lean on in times of pain.

At that moment, Rachel wakes up. It takes her eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to the light, but then she sees whose there. Santana and Brittany. Rachel's walls build up yet again and her mask sets in place. She sits there and observes her hands. The two girls in front of her are clearly baffled.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Santana asks, concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Rachel asks in an impartial tone.

Brittany persists, "Rachel, what's wrong?"

Rachel can't stand seeing Brittany's confused and hurt expression. She turns away before she addresses Brittany. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Santana doesn't understand what's wrong with Rachel. They stayed all night in the parking lot just her. Rachel seemed to be a new person. It scares Santana; to see Rachel like this. To see her closed off and barely responsive. Rachel's barely communicating with either of them. Santana just doesn't know what they did.

Santana turns to Brittany, "Can you go get me some coffee Britt?" Brittany nods her head and leaves the room.

After she leaves, Santana sighs. "Okay Rachel, what's really the problem?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Santana. Now if you don't mind lea-"

Santana interrupts, "You can't tell me when to leave! You're staying at _my_ house. Why are you mad? I expect an answer."

Rachel sighs. "This morning, when I woke up, you weren't here."

"Yeah, because the fucking nurses had us kicked out!" Santana's voice softens, "Rach, you know we would've stayed with you if we could've. Britt and I would never leave you."

Rachel starts to tear up, "I don't know why I was so stupid! I should've known this wasn't all a trick. San, thank you so much for being there for me. I don't know how I could every repay you."

Santana grabs Rachel's hand and gives it a comforting squeeze. Brittany comes back with two cups of coffee. "Thanks Britt," Santana smiles at her.

Then, the doctor came in to check on Rachel and make sure her cast is intact. She declares that Rachel is well enough to go home. The doctor says, "Girls, I just need to talk to Rachel privately for a moment, so could you both please step outside." Santana and Brittany begrudgingly get up and walk out after promising to be back after.

Then Dr. Sara closes the door, "Rachel, don't you want to contact your fathers about your assault?"

Rachel starts to slightly panic. "Oh! No! I've already told them what has happened and they are currently on vacation for their 20th wedding anniversary! So no, it would not be necessary to contact them. They said that they're booking a plane home as soon as possible to help me through this time."

The doctor looks a bit skeptical, but nods her head anyways and tells Rachel to come back within a month.

Santana and Brittany are waiting for Rachel when she finishes getting dressed and gathers her belongings. "Hey, what'd the doctor want?" Santana asks.

"Oh, it was nothing! She just told me to come back next month so she can check on the progress of my wrist." Rachel feels bad for lying, but it wasn't like she was really lying. After all, she_ did_ have to come back the next month. She just didn't tell them the specific details.

Santana looks suspicious and is about to say something when Brittany interjects. "Oh, okay. Now let's get you to the mall so we can buy you new clothes!"

"No! I can't let you buy clothes for me after you've already done so much to help me."

Santana shakes her head, "No, you are not going back to that house and it looks like you haven't gotten new clothes in years. You need new clothes so I am going to buy them for you. It's what friends do for each other."

Rachel reluctantly agrees to go shopping. They head to Santana's car and make their way to the mall.

Brittany says, "Now Rachel, this is going to be just a relaxing day for us three girls. So that means don't stress about anything!"

Rachel agrees not to stress and the girls head to the first store, Victoria's Secret. But, Rachel hesitates.

"Rach, aren't you coming in?" Santana asks. Rachel shakes her head.

Santana whines, "Why not!? You need new panties and bras so let's shop for them! Face it Rach, you are clearly in need of them."

Rachel reluctantly agrees and they enter the store. Rachel feels slightly uncomfortable talking to the sales associate about size and color and style, so the lady offers to help size her. Rachel starts to panic; she doesn't want anyone to see the ugly bruises covering her body. She declines the offer and just has Brittany and Santana help her find the right size. They end up buying Rachel about 5 bras and 12 pairs of underwear.

Brittany squeals, "Okay now we get to go get manis and pedis!"

Rachel couldn't have been less thrilled. She never cared about her nails before, so why now? Especially, now that she has that cast on her wrist. On their way to the nail salon, they happen to see some of the other students from school. Rachel looks closely and could tell it was Quinn, Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina. Rachel freezes after seeing them. She doesn't want to be seen by them, but that's too late because they're already heading in her direction. She looks for Santana and Brittany, but they seem to be nowhere in sight. Now Rachel's really panicking. As if time stopped, Quinn makes her way up to Rachel.

"Oh, hey Rupaul! I like your clothes today, what did you steal those too? I mean, we all know you have a tendency to steal things that don't belong to _you_." Quinn sneers at her.

Rachel replies in a low voice, "Q-Quinn, how many times do I have to tell you that Finn hit on me and I don't like him like that!"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh man hands; I don't believe that for a second! We all know you're a boyfriend stealing bitch that won't stop until she gets what she wants. But the question is, why would Finn ever go for someone like _you_? You're an annoying know-it-all who thinks she's better than everyone else. No one even knows if you're really a girl, just look at you. You have the body of an eleven-year-old boy. Finn wants a woman, not a child." Quinn smirks and they all laugh at Rachel.

Rachel feels the tears coming on, but she tries to hold them back.

Brittany and Santana have just finished looking at the jewelry boutique when Brittany spots Rachel. Brittany stops and furrows her eyebrows, confused. "San, what is Quinn doing to Rachel?" Brittany asks.

That's when Santana sees that Rachel is near tears and she storms over there with Britt right behind her. "Quinn, what the hell are you doing?" Santana snarls.

"Just pointing out to Rupaul what's mine." Quinn triumphantly smirks.

"Blondie, I will rip that smirk off of your face if you and your wannabe bitches don't turn around and leave right fucking now. Leave Rachel the hell alone."

"Oh, so it's _Rachel _now. Well if I remember _San_, you were one of those 'bitches' that called her man hands and came up with Rupaul!" Quinn says, spitting out Rachel's name like it's poison.

Santana balls her fists and in a deathly calm voice says, "_Quinn, _you may think you know what you're doing, but you don't and you do _not_ want to mess with me."

Mercedes smirks, "Quinn could take you. All she has to do is hit those sandbags you call tits."

Santana's temper is reaching its edge, but then she looks over and sees Rachel with a fearful expression on her face and she knows she's caused it. "You know Quinn, you really aren't worth it. Neither are your side gays. Have a _splendid_ day." Santana says in an overly sweet voice, batting her eyelashes.

Quinn's face turns slightly red and then her and her posse turn and leave. Rachel goes over to Santana. "No one has ever stood up for me before San. Thank you so much for stopping her." Rachel says gratefully with tears in her eyes.

Santana's heart breaks a little bit more after hearing that confession. Britt comforts Rachel while she's still slightly crying. Once Rachel calms down, Britt decides she needs to take Rachel to Abercrombie and Fitch, Forever 21, and American Eagle. They try on the new clothes that have just come in. Rachel ends up buying about 10 jeans and shorts and 15 tops. Also, she gets 5 dresses and tons of pairs of shoes. She even gets some cute, fuzzy sweaters. Brittany and Santana also pick some things out that they like.

After shopping, they head down to the food court. Brittany wants Burger King for the little toy inside, so they all go to Burger King and order. Once they get their food, they sit down.

"Thank you so much for all of this today!" Rachel profusely thanks San and Brittany.

"I told you, it's fine Rach. Besides, you needed new clothes. And Britt and I had fun." Santana smiles.

Brittany buts in, "Except when Quinnie showed up. She just hurts people." Brittany frowns.

"Don't you worry about her Britt, she'll never be mean to you. I won't let her. I will kick her ass if she fucks with either of you," Santana viciously says.

Rachel and Brittany smile at her.

"Rachel, I thought you were friends with Teen Gay, Wheezy, and Girl Chang?" Santana asks curiously.

"We used to be friends, but then all they could see me as was an attention whore with no friends that everybody hated" Rachel says sadly, eating a French fry.

"Don't listen to them Rach. You're one of the nicest, most caring people I've ever met," Brittany says.

"Yeah, seriously don't listen to them. They just want the attention and that's why they're 'friends' with Quinn. They just want popularity, which will never happen for them." Santana smirks.

Rachel sighs, "I guess you guys are right, but they take every opportunity to tear me down. I know I should just stop listening to what they sa-"

Rachel's interrupted by Brittany throwing a French fry at her face. Britt and San are laughing hysterically and Rachel can't help but join in. Soon enough, they're having a full blown food fight that turns into a war. They're forced to leave the mall, but they laugh the whole way out.

_So this is what having friends feels like, _Rachel thinks. With that thought, she smiles to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>I guess that's where I'll stop it for tonight! But did you see the finale of season threeee!?It was so sad but I loved it. SO seriously, I need to know which friendships you want to happen? Please try to be patient with me I'm not that great with sticking with one thing, as you all know.<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**I feel so awful that it's been months since I've updated. I've just finished editing all of the other chapters, since yaknow, they clearly needed revision. I know I'm not great with sticking to things, but when I look back at it and all of your lovely reviews, you all just inspire me. I want to thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart for having patience with me!**

* * *

><p>Rachel walks into school feeling more confident than ever. She finally has friends to back her up. She sees San and Britt at Santana's locker and Rachel starts to walk over there. Suddenly, she feels something cold hit the back of her head. She automatically knows it's a slushy. It starts dripping down her back and coating her hair. She turns around and sees Karofsky holding the cup and Quinn laughing behind him.<p>

Rachel is mortified. Santana and Brittany turn and see Rachel covered in the raspberry slushy. Rachel flees to the bathroom without a glance.

Santana screams, "Rachel, wait!" And they run after her.

They walk in and find Rachel struggling to breathe at the sink. Santana runs over and tries to calm Rachel down and instructs her to breathe in and out.

"Rachel, where's your other set of clothes?" Brittany asks.

"In my locker," Rachel mumbles. Brittany staggers out the bathroom and runs to grab her other pair of clothes and her makeup bag. After grabbing them, she sees Quinn and Kurt laughing and Brittany sees red. She normally doesn't get mad, so it's such a rare sight to see the animated blonde get worked up over anything.

"What's your problem Quinn? Why are you so mean to Rachel?! She didn't do anything to you! And you, Kurt! How could you let Rachel to be bullied after you've felt what it's like to be bullied yourself? I don't understand how you both could be so mean," Brittany frowns.

Quinn laughing says, "You're so damn naïve Britt. This is high school; only the strong survive. If you haven't noticed, Manhands isn't popular and no one can stand the thought of talking to her, let alone being her friend."

"But I'm her friend," Brittany mumbles.

"You should get rid of her while you still can," Kurt responds, "She's not worth it."

"No. _You _are not worth it. You ditched her when she needed you most and she's been all alone for _years._ You both think you can just stomp on her feelings like they mean nothing, but newsflash, she's a person. She's not a punching bag that you can use whenever you need to feel better about yourself. She's a person and she has feelings, whether you care about them or not." Brittany was in a blind rage at this point.

Kurt looked shocked, but Quinn started cruelly laughing, "Yeah, whatever Britt. I promise I won't be here when you and Santana come crawling back to me because you realized what a mistake it was to become friends with that thing. Let's go Kurt." With that, they left.

Brittany can't even stomach the thought of being Quinn's friend again, after all that she's done. Only people out of their right mind would want to be friends with her. Or for the social power. Brittany sighs and heads back to the bathroom.

"What took you so long Britt?" San wonders.

"Oh, it just took me a while to get Rach's locker open," Brittany sheepishly grins and hands Rachel the clothes.

Rachel smiles graciously and takes the clothes from Brittany and enters a stall to change. She removes the icy, argyle sweater and skirt and exchanges them for jeans and a more chic sweater from Forever 21. She exits the stall and Santana has her crouch in front of the sink. Santana rinses Rachel's hair and melts all of the ice out. She towel dries Rachel's hair and decides to style it into a French braid, while Brittany applies makeup to Rachel's bruises.

Once finished, Rachel takes a look at herself in the mirror and is overwhelmed with happiness. She smiles gratefully at San and Britt and they all head to first period.

* * *

><p>Rachel isn't bothered again, until lunch. She's heading to lunch right after English, when one of the Cheerios purposely puts their foot out and before Rachel can stop herself, she's face planting. Every bruise on her body aches when she hits the floor. She yelps in pain, while the Cheerios gather around her, cruelly laughing. She looks up into the eyes of Quinn and she sees no remorse in her hazel eyes.<p>

Suddenly, she hears Brittany, "Rachel! Are you okay!? Rach!"

San and Britt help Rachel to her feet and Santana tells Brittany to take Rachel to the nurse and she'll meet up. Brittany agrees and leads Rachel away.

Once Rachel's out of sight, Santana pounces. "What fucking game do you think you're playing here Quinn? Do you think it's fun to hurt people because they're happy and you're a bitter bitch? Finnocence not enough of a man to keep a needy bitch like you content? No other guy would ever put up with your shit; you're lucky Frankenteen can't see past your looks. If he could, he'd dump your sorry ass in a heartbeat. I'm only going to tell you one more time, stay the fuck away from Rachel."

Quinn scoffs and looks at her, already bored, while checking out her nails.

Santana can't conceal her rage. She turns around and heads to the nurse before she really does something she might regret.

* * *

><p>The nurse is checking out Rachel's nose when Santana comes back.<p>

"You're okay, Rachel. It's not broken; it should bruise in a day or two, but you have nothing to worry about." The nurse says to Rachel. Rachel smiles gratefully at the nurse and thanks her.

Rach, San, and Britt make their way out of the nurse's office and head to the rest of lunch. They sit at their own table. Whenever San looks around, she can briefly see Quinn glaring. The sight alone makes her want to slap that look off of that bitch's face.

Rachel and Brittany are animatedly talking, when Mike, Matt, and Noah approach their table.

"Is it all right if we sit here?" Mike asks. Brittany nods enthusiastically, while Rach and San look at them curiously.

The boys sit down and Brittany immediately begins a conversation. Rachel zones out during most of the conversation as she feels slightly uneasy. She's felt that way around most guys after the incident. She doesn't know Matt or Mike very well and they make her nervous. They seem nice enough but she's never gotten to know them outside of Glee Club. Noah could never make Rachel feel nervous though. They've been going to the same Temple for years and his mother has always been so kind to Rachel whenever they saw each other.

Rachel breaks out of her trance and senses there's a pair of eyes trained on her. She looks to her right and there's Noah staring at her with concern. His eyebrows are furrowed and he seems to be concentrating on something. Rachel looks away and continues to eat her vanilla yogurt.

* * *

><p>Lunch ends pretty quickly and the rest of the day flies by for Rachel. She didn't receive another slushy and she had Britt and San by her side most of the day. And now it's time for Glee. Rachel feels a slight sense of dread, but it isn't as strong as it usually is. She feels more confident walking in there. She has more friends and she's never felt better.<p>

That is, until Mercedes and Kurt walk in.

Mercedes walks right up to Rachel and sneers, "I see Manhands has finally gotten herself a sense of style. You think you're all that now that you had someone help you pick out better clothes and you have _two _friends? Face it, you're still a nobody. A worthless, pathetic nobody."

Kurt smirks, while Rachel tries not to let her harsh words bother her.

"Wheezy, what the hell did I tell you earlier? Just because I only said it to Quinn doesn't mean that shit doesn't apply to you and Lady Hummel," Santana sneers.

"I'd watch your back, Sandbags," Quinn buts in.

"You think I'm fucking afraid of you _Quinn?" _Santana spits her name out like poison.

"Santana, I think you better just back off, alright," Finn interjects.

"Did anyone ask you fetus face? No? Then stay out of shit that isn't your business," Santana sneers. Finn looks like he's about to object, when Mr. Schue walks in.

"Alright guys, the theme this week is family," he writes the theme on the board, while half the club rolls their eyes. Mr. Schuester turns around to face the class. "Everyone in this club is a family. We care for each other as we care for our actual families. This week, we're going to celebrate how much we care for our little family here," he says excitedly.

Brittany raises her hand and he calls on her. "Why would the theme be family if not everyone here is nice?" Britt asks, confused.

Mr. Schue looks taken aback as he answers, "Brittany, that is untrue. I have never seen any act of bullying in this club."

Santana rolls her eyes, "Then you must be blind. It's pretty hard not to notice the exclusion in this club."

"What are you talking about Santana? I would never allow any form of harassment in this club," Mr. Schue protests.

"Then you're clearly not paying enough attention. You only see what you wanna see," Santana drawls.

"I don't tolerate bullying and I've never seen any form of it in this club."

"Are you _fucking _kidding me?! You say you've never seen any form of bullying in this class? It happens every day, and hell, most of the time you join in. Rachel is subjected to yours and everyone else's bitching and judgment every day and you don't think that's a form of bullying?! You all attacked her while she never did anything to you. She was weak and defenseless and you used that to your advantage and that's fucking sick," Santana explodes.

"But you did the same thing to her! What makes you think you're so different from us?" Kurt shouts at Santana.

"It's quite simple, Porcelain. I realized what I used to do to Rachel was wrong. I apologized to her and I was lucky enough that she accepted my apology. I wanted to make amends with her. What do you think people are gonna say about you in ten years? That you were a nice person? That you helped everyone who needed it? You can hope for that, but chances are quite slim at this point. Ten years from now, people will remember you as a cruel person who fed off of other's pain. Is that how you really want to be remembered?" Santana rants.

Everyone looks at her shocked, even Mr. Schue.

"You know what Rach, come on, we're leaving." Rach and Britt stand to join Santana as she leaves.

"Wait up! We're coming too," Noah shouts as Mike, Matt, and he run to catch up, "That asshole doesn't know anything. He doesn't deserve someone as talented as you Rach."

Rachel's heart warms at that and she smiles softly at Noah. She's still in shock. No one has ever stuck up for her like they have. It puts this dazzling smile on her face and gives her hope. Hope that these friends will stick by her through anything. Hope that her luck will improve. Hope that she never has to go through the pain of being alone ever again. This is the first time that Rachel's had hope in years and nothing could remove the smile from her face.

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><p><strong>I still really am sorry for such slow ass updating :( I hope I'll do better! Please leave me any reviews that could help me :) ilysm <strong>


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